Woodford Reserve Distillery

When Brown-Forman Corporation began master planning work for the Woodford Reserve Distillery near Lexington, Kentucky, the site had been abandoned for decades and the eighteen existing structures had deteriorated to the point that they were occupied by deer and raccoon.  JP Shadley began the Master Plan for this hilly, wooded 42-acre campus in 1995, while he was with another firm. He still works as Woodford’s planner and landscape architect today, but much else has changed over those years.

Today, Woodford is a National Historic Landmark and fifteen of the original buildings have been restored or renovated. It is a significant working production facility and home to the world’s fastest growing bourbon whiskey brand, as well as a gourmet café and a museum/interpretive destination visited annually by over 100,000 guests.  

Landscape architectural work at Woodford has included full road and parking layouts, thousands of linear feet of new stone walls and horse fencing, forged iron entry piers and gates (executed with artists), pedestrian paths, site lighting, extensive native and ornamental landscaping, and the incorporation of local art. The project has received Design Awards from the Boston Society of Landscape Architects, the Kentucky Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Kentucky Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and the National Trust for Historic Properties.